Centre opens to train, expedite international doctors’ licenses in Nova Scotia

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill & Chris Halef

The province opened a new centre aimed to train international doctors so they can get licenses in Canada and practice in Nova Scotia communities.

The Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence opened its clinic with four internationally trained doctors who will provide primary care to 2,600 patients, who are on the need a family doctor list.

The doctors are internationally trained and supervised by a team of Nova Scotia experts who will help them to gain experience before gaining their licensure. The program is set to take 12 weeks to complete, and those who become licensed will be required to sign a three year contact and return to practice in Nova Scotia.

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“This assessment centre is the first of its kind in North America, and it will get these doctors seeing patients much faster than before while providing the quality of care Nova Scotians expect,” said Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness.

The province said the centre will expand over time to include five physician-led teams of up to three internationally trained physicians each, adding the clinic will have capacity for roughly 6,500 patients.

Last year, 28 per cent of new physicians who began practicing in Nova Scotia were recruited internationally.

Nova Scotia improving wait list

The province is reporting just over 9,000 names have been removed from the list of Nova Scotians waiting for a family doctor.

The new data released by Nova Scotia Health on Jan. 7 showed 110,456 people who are in need of a doctor.

The January numbers are down by about 9,200 from the numbers released at the beginning of December, but still represent about 10 per cent of the current population of Nova Scotia.

The health authority noted that the wait list has been decreasing over the last several months — a drop the premier credits to programs aimed at reducing the doctor shortage.

However, the numbers are still far higher than the summer of 2022 — after the Progressive Conservatives took office — when there were slightly more than 100,000 people seeking to be attached to a doctor or other family care practitioner.